A Roshan Digital Account is a State Bank of Pakistan scheme that lets a non-resident Pakistani, and some other non-residents, open a Pakistani bank account from abroad. It is for banking, payments and investment. It is not a special exchange rate, and it is not a substitute for reading your own bank’s terms. If you work in the Gulf, it is one possible place for salary you send home to land. It does not, by itself, pick the cheapest dirham or riyal quote.
Who the State Bank says can open one
SBP’s own page describes eligibility for non-resident Pakistanis, including people with a NICOP or POC, and it also describes room for some foreign nationals and entities. Resident Pakistanis are covered only in the cases SBP spells out. Do not guess from a YouTube title. Read the eligibility list on the SBP Roshan Digital Account page and the FAQ. A Gulf work visa does not, on its own, answer the question. The bank will ask which category you fall into.
The FAQ describes two products. A non-resident Pakistani and a non-resident POC holder can be eligible for both. Federal or provincial government officials posted abroad in the tax year are also described there. For the foreign-currency account, the FAQ also includes a resident Pakistani who has declared assets held abroad in the wealth statement of the latest tax return filed with FBR. For the time being, that resident case is not a fully digital opening: the FAQ says those customers need to visit a branch. Checked on 9 October 2026. Read the current FAQ before you rely on a shorter list, because SBP can amend the wording.
- Accounts come in rupees and in foreign currency. The product names on the SBP FAQ are NRP Rupee Value Account (NRVA) and Foreign Currency Value Account (FCVA).
- The FAQ lists several foreign currencies for an FCVA, including the UAE dirham and the Saudi riyal. The full list is on that page. Do not assume every Gulf currency is open at every bank.
- A minor can be on a joint account with a parent or guardian if the legal steps and the bank’s own policy are met.
- Naya Pakistan Certificates are a separate government instrument you may be offered inside the account. The profit rates change. Read the current table on the SBP page, and read the rate on the bank’s own page, on the day you invest.
- Conventional and Shariah versions exist. Pick the one you mean.
- The account is opened with a Pakistani bank that offers RDA, not with the State Bank itself.
How to open it from the Gulf
- Read the eligibility list on the SBP FAQ and decide whether you are applying as a non-resident Pakistani, a POC holder, or another category the page actually names.
- Pick a bank from the list SBP publishes. The list changes when banks join or leave. A blog’s “best bank” line is not that list.
- Choose rupees (NRVA) or foreign currency (FCVA), and choose the conventional or Shariah version on purpose.
- Use the passport, NICOP or POC the bank asks for. The name should match the document you will later give an exchange house.
- Submit the digital form. The FAQ describes opening within two working days after a complete form and correctly uploaded documents. A bank can still ask for extra papers. If it does, the two days are not a promise.
- When the account exists, copy the IBAN from the bank’s own app or letter. Do not rebuild it from memory.
Checked on 9 October 2026, that two-working-day line is what the SBP FAQ describes for a completed digital file. It is not a service standard Apna Ghar can enforce. If the portal rejects a scan, fix the scan. Do not pay a typing centre that claims it has a “back door” at the State Bank. You are opening an account with a commercial bank under SBP’s scheme.
Profit rates and the exchange rate are different
Two rates get mixed up. The first is the dirham or riyal rate you get when you send money. An RDA does not guarantee the best one. Compare the rupees, or the foreign currency that will actually be credited, the way any other transfer is compared. See sending money from the UAE or from Saudi Arabia, and check today’s rate on the rates desk. Apna Ghar’s rate is a mid-market reference, not your bank’s payout.
The second rate is the profit or return on money left inside the account or in a certificate. SBP publishes Naya Pakistan Certificate rates and they change. The figure that will apply to you is the one on the bank’s own page for the product you are buying, on the day you invest. This guide will not freeze a percentage. A screenshot in a WhatsApp group is how people lock in a number that has already been revised. If you cannot find the rate on the bank’s page and on the SBP table, do not invest on the strength of a voice note.
What the account is for, and what it refuses
People use an RDA to receive money from abroad, hold rupees or foreign currency, and invest in the products the bank shows under the scheme. The FAQ says funds in these accounts can be remitted back from Pakistan without prior approval from the bank or SBP. It also describes a narrower rule for real estate: if you disinvest before three years, the principal can be repatriated, while a capital gain can be repatriated after three years from the investment. If you paid in instalments, the FAQ treats the date of the last instalment as the investment date. Read that section yourself before you buy property through the account. Checked on 9 October 2026.
The same FAQ says these accounts are not a place to park money generated inside Pakistan, except for profit or return on eligible investments and the proceeds when those investments are sold or mature. Do not try to deposit a local salary or a local cash business into an RDA because it sounds convenient. Funds from an older foreign-currency account are not something you simply sweep across either. The instructions are different. Ask the bank, and read the FAQ, before you move a balance you cannot easily reverse.
If you return to Pakistan for good, the FAQ describes a choice: keep the RDA with restrictions, or change status. The restrictions it mentions include not crediting domestic funds, apart from redemptions or disinvestment proceeds, and not making further investments through the rupee RDA. That is a reason to tell the bank when you move home, not a reason to ignore the account until a transfer is blocked.
Bank charges, tax and your visa
The bank sets charges. Read that bank’s schedule before you move a large sum. A free opening can still sit next to a conversion charge or a low balance fee. Ask for the schedule in writing. Apna Ghar will not invent those fees.
This page is not tax advice. If you are unsure whether a return is taxable for you, ask a tax adviser or read FBR guidance. Do not treat a bank brochure as a ruling.
An RDA does not replace the Protector of Emigrants, an Iqama, an Emirates ID or a visa. It is a banking and investment channel. It will not get you on a flight, and it will not renew a residence permit. Keep that file in a separate envelope from your bank letters.
Fees, fines and salary thresholds change. If a number is not written on the official page linked below, treat a WhatsApp figure as unchecked.